Now you know

During what month of the year is the Earth farthest from the sun? If you said January, you're completely ... wrong. It's June. Earth goes around the sun in an elliptical orbit. In early January, Earth is at its closest approach to the sun - 3 million miles closer than it is in June. So if we're closer, why is January so cold in the Northern Hemisphere? Blame the earth's tilt. The North Pole points away from the sun in January. That means fewer hours of warming sunlight. More important, it means the sun's rays will strike the Northern Hemisphere at a low angle and be less effective at heating the ground. Think about it: The South Pole is in perpetual daylight half the year, but it's not what you call "beach weather" down there.

Source: NASA website